What You Need To Know About Sugar Maple Trees
Sugar Maple trees are considered fast-growing trees. On top of that, it can be a great shade tree if it can mature sufficiently. Sugar Maple trees typically grow to a height of twenty-five to thirty-five meters. Some of the fast-growing ones can reach heights up to forty-five meters. A ten-year-old Sugar Maple shade tree is usually five meters tall.
The leaf of a Sugar Maple is known for its distinct shape of having five palmate lobes. Its leaves are classified as deciduous. The leaf coloring of the Sugar Maple tree is spectacular during the fall season. The colors may range from bright yellow, orange, and red-orange. The leaves change color unevenly during fall, which only amplifies their natural beauty.
You can find all the leaf colors in a single tree if you get lucky. There are instances that certain parts of the Maple tree change color weeks behind or ahead of the rest of the tree—the Maple tree flowers in corymbs of five to ten together. The flower is usually yellow-green and does not have any petals. Flowering usually happens during spring and in a specific temperature range.
The fruits of the Sugar Maple are classified as double samara, and it has two winged seeds. These seeds typically fall off the tree during autumn and are only viable for a few days.
The Sugar Maple tree has a lot of close relatives, such as the Bigtooth Maple. Some botanists even classify Bigtooth Maple as a subspecies of the Sugar Maple. However, it is the Norway Maple that Sugar Maple is often confused with. Ironically, they are not closely related when it comes to genus. It is easy to identify a Sugar Maple from a Norway Maple if you know what to look for. Sugar Maple has a clear sap, while Norway Maple has a white-colored juice
. Sugar Maple has brown sharp-tipped buds, while the Norway Maple has more green or reddish-tipped buds. The leaf lobes of Sugar maple are more in a triangle shape, while Norway Maple has more squarish-shaped leaf lobes. Sugar Maple has lots of uses. It is one of the most critical trees in Canada because of the sap, which is the primary ingredient in making maple syrup.
It is possible to make Maple syrup from other kinds of tree sap. However, the sugar content in Sugar Maple is the highest among the species, and other trees produce a more cloudy juice. One of the best things about Sugar Maple is the wood that it produces. Sugar Maple wood is one of the densest and hardest.
The wood is often used as flooring or furniture, making it highly prized by woodworkers and woodcrafters. Any decent bowling pins and bowling alleys are made from Sugar Maple wood. Wood is also used in most basketball courts.
The wood flooring used in the NBA is manufactured from Sugar Maple. In the baseball league, Sugar Maple baseball bats are prevalent. Most skateboards are made of Sugar Maple wood. Sugar Maple wood is also used to make musical instruments like violins' sides, guitar necks, and drum shells.
If you are interested in buying a Sugar Maple tree for your home, you can hardly go wrong with it. The tree is often a favorite for being a garden or street tree. The tree is fast-growing and easy to transplant and propagate, producing beautiful colors in the fall.
Sugar Maple can develop in any soil, even if it is sandy, as long as it is not very dry. Loose or light clay soils are also known to support the tree. That makes Sugar Maple a viable option for homeowners living in an area with loose or light clay soils. However, the best medium for rooting for the tree is a deep, well-drained loam.
Areas that are not well-drained or flood-prone are not suitable for Sugar Maple. The tree also has a low salt tolerance. Make sure that your Sugar Maple does not come into contact with substances that have Boron since it is susceptible to the said element.
Sugar Maple is an excellent addition to your home. It can provide shade and is easy to maintain. It grows fast and dazzles you with beautiful colors during fall. You can hardly go wrong with many benefits if you choose a Sugar Maple for your home.
